1. Field of the Disclosure
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to vehicle door structures. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle door structure providing reinforcement of an inner side of a door to enhance rigidity of the door.
2. Description of Prior Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 5-116537 (e.g., paragraphs 0010 to 0021 and FIG. 1) discloses an example of a vehicle door structure in which an inside sealing member is formed together with corner pieces located at the front and rear of the inside sealing member and with a rear molded portion of a door weather strip by integral molding.
In such a vehicle door structure, inner door panels of door bodies located at the side surfaces of the vehicle are provided with press-molded outer panel members at the outer sides thereof and vehicle door trim members at the inner sides thereof.
Each of these vehicle door trim members is a laminate mainly constituted by a core material and an outer layer backed with a foam layer.
Each inner door panel and the corresponding press-molded outer panel member are joined together along their edges so as to form a box shape with a closed cross section.
In the vehicle door structure described above, the inner door panel and the press-molded outer panel member are joined together along their edges to form a box shape with a closed cross section to achieve a desired rigidity.
Another example of a vehicle door structure is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 6-78036 (e.g., paragraphs 0012 to 0025 and FIGS. 1 and 2) in which a hollow waist garnish member formed of a synthetic resin molded body is provided within a door trim.
However, in the vehicle door structure described above, the inner door panel of the door body includes several tabbed-end portions in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, which must be joined to the outer door panel. As a result, there are numerous possible mounting positions such that a high degree of precision is difficult to achieve in mounting such inner door panels. Additionally, such tabbed structure makes it difficult to maintain structural rigidity in the inner door panels.